Hey!

Hey ery'body! 

This week we had so many problemas with our people! so many problems! everyone has a problem! Our recent converts, less actives, investigators, yikes. It's been a week where at the end of the day I'm like, "wait I'm the one that has to try and fix this? I'm the missionary in charge here?" You think missionaries have all the answers but I have no clue! Its so pressure-ful to be in charge of all the souls in my radius :D going crazy!

So because there are so many problems and too many long stories, I'll just summarize to keep it private and so you can kind of know. Our recent converts and investigator were drinking all weekend, some less active has major doubts about the truthfulness of the church because of some members, some of our recent converts went to Manila and we haven't taught them or they haven't been to church since their baptism, we need white shirts and pants for our newly baptized deacons, an investigator with baptismal date locks her gate and avoids us, the day after we taught word of wisdom to someone they drank a ton of coffee, one investigator is so hooked on everything in the word of wisdom and has no idea how to stop, etc etc the list goes on. YIKEES RIGHT!?!  Sis R and I came home and I flopped on my bed with my bag and shoes still on and did some quality moaning and groaning. deeeeep breaaath.

Me and Sis. R haha

Haha it reminds me of when I was in Brother Grimes' class in seminary and we watched The District for class. I remember walking out of there saying "oh gosh I'm NEVER going on a mission. No way can I do that/ teach/ help people like that. Phweew no way jose!" haha PSYCH look who's got a name tag. Look who's in charge of solving those problems. Crazy how that works out.

So this week the coolest thing that happened! Oh it was awesome! Ok so we had a hard busy day with lots of disappointments, and on top of all of it since its my last week of training I'm leading the area- planning leading lessons all of it- and I made soo many mistakes. Mistakes in language and in timing and in everything I felt like. We walked home and it was quiet and dark and in my head played all the mistakes I made and all the bad things I messed up on that day. We came home and I started doing the dishes. As I was washing I had this thought, it was so fast and subtle that if i wasn't being still and didn't go back and question it I probably wouldn't have recognized it as the Spirit. I was thinking about all of my mistakes and the words came to my head " I am making up the rest."  I went on washing and washing and then was like, wait what? that wasn't me, that wasn't my thought. as I went back and thought on it I knew it was the voice of my Savior through the Holy Ghost. I got tears in my eyes for the reminder He sent me that I am not doing this alone, and even though I'm making mistakes left and right He is filling the rest that I cant do. I stopped doing the dishes and went into the other room, shut the door, and went straight to my knees and said a teary prayer of thanks. I am so grateful that as long as I try, as I throw myself out there and take leaps of faith, all the things I can't do become complete through the Atonement. So amazing!! I am so grateful to be here! I love this and how hard it is because it forces me to be so so reliant on my Savior!

 The next day was so cool- there were still tons of mistakes and it was hard and all the problems were still there, but as I was speaking it was like the words were being put into my mind one second before I needed them. Just like the scriptures say! In the very hour! (second actually) I felt like I was on Looney Tunes or Tom and Jerry when they have a train that goes off the edge of a cliff and there are no tracks underneath, and all the laws of gravity say that the train has to fall, but because of the miracle of animation, Roadrunner or Tom can grab train tracks from underneath them and lay them down in mid air in front of the train as they trudge on into space. (Do you know what I'm talking about?) that's totally how I felt.  As I spoke it was one word at a time, one train track, that I could lay right in front of me. Somehow at the end I didn't crash and burn like all the laws of the universe say! I am NOT doing this alone, I know 100% that I am incapable of doing that on my own. The gift of tongues is real and the Savior's mercy is real. He helps all his children when they are in His service!

Hmm ok a funny story now- when we teach the word of wisdom, after we explain about the spiritual side of it all and why we should follow it cause its revelation from a prophet and all, this fun thing happens.  Sis R turns into Dr. R and I sit by and hear what sounds like a very flawed wikipedia page entitled "harmful substances" be read out loud. I wish you could all hear it. I wish I could translate it all for you- if I literally translated it it is "if you drink coffee its like the same as drugs because they have a similar ingredient of caffeine. It makes your liver sick and your heart sick.  You will die at an early age. You will not sleep at night. You will clog your veins. If you smoke your lungs are sick. If you drink alak you will die."  And on and on it goes its so funny! But these people are not educated and have no way to check these facts. Oh well I guess, as long as they don't do it! Scare em to death!

district activity of volleyball for hours with the elders. sooo annoying i hate vball

 

I don't know what else to tell you! Time is a ticking! Mom you got my email about the package right? Is this week Thanksgiving? If it is or if it isn't- I'm so grateful for you guys!! I have the bestest family! we watched a Mormon message the other day about the best thing a father can do for his daughter is to love his wife. I am so grateful to you dad for loving mom, it seems like such a little thing but really it influences all of our kids' eternities. I am so lucky to have parents still in love- it really is so rare these days! (even though me and Hannah think its cheesy sometimes ...jk) I'm so grateful that I am sealed to you guys forEVER! YES! 

How can anyone ever live with anything less than the promises of the temple? I am grateful for so so much I could write a book! I have such a blessed life and everything I have is a gift! I am so grateful for my Savior for making it possible for me and everyone else in this world to have true, deep and lasting happiness. I am grateful there is a way out of sin, a way out of sadness, and an end to all heart break. I am so grateful for the Atonement I cant even put it into words. I am grateful for SO MUCH! everything is so good and so beautiful! oh wait- its hard actually out here! there's a lot that can get someone down but not me! ("no wizard that there ever was, is ever gonna bring MEEE-EEE DOWWWWN!") I'm unstoppable :) Have a great week everyone! I will too! keep up the prayers they are saving my life! 

LOVE YOUUUUU 

Sister McGrath

this is a pic of a companion study we had- its called we each hemmed a leg of pant legs for our recent convert to pass the sacrament. update- we made them high waters and are back to square one HAHA

Heyyy

What's cookin' good lookin'? First things first I'm so sorry for this keyboard and all the typos that will ensue with our relationship. It's so sticky and the backspace is like the size of Abraham Lincoln's eyeball on a penny. It's rough going.

OK So the week was good! the work was good! I'm doing good! I did really bad at writing in my journal this week so forgive me with how short and non inspiring this week is going to be. 


Let's talk cool missionary stuff. This week we taught a lady about the first 2 principles of lesson 1 and after, the lady said that she had goosebumps and felt something inside of her. we told her that was the Spirit! She really felt it! We taught her in the next lesson and she's so receptive and everything makes sense to her! In her prayer she prayed for us to keep coming back :) As we taught her all I could see was a future relief society president :) She's going to be great at that calling ;) It really helps if you imagine whoever you are talking to as the next Bishop or RS pres (not that that calling means anything, just that it helps you imagine them as an active member) it really helps me look past what human eyes see and judge, and look deeper. You know, like to their soul! It's true, the next bishop could be a creepy looking smoker dude who we don't feel like talking to! But when you see people for what they can become it's like, yeah! listen up this message is for yooou!

A not so good thing- we were teaching this lady about the Plan of Salvation but she's so distracted! we came in and she was watching her soap operas and told us to wait till it was over cause it was her favoritte. okkkayyyy.....so then we started the lesson and she is looking out the windows, texting with her fingers but keeping eye contact (what the heck I can SEE you! her phone is literally right on her lap with no effort to hide it) and she's just not focused. GAHHH so frustrating!! Itss so hard because as missionaries, we can see how this is the most important message she could ever hear on this world and in her whole life time, but she cant see it! That's the struggle of a missionary. I asked her questions like what would it mean to you if the truth was on the earth today? and you can be with your husband and daughters forevvvvverrr for all eternity! and things like that but its just not sinking in really. We tried to teach and get her interested and see the importance. its harrrrddd!! frustrating.

So my favorite thing that happened this week: we went to go pick up the people who promised to go to church before it started, but all of them weren't home or said they were actually busy.  I felt so crushed because they promised and really seemed like they wanted  to come. The whole ride to church I was major depressed. We were so so sad as we walked up to the church, but GUESS WHAT!! one of our investigator girls (she has school every Sunday morning and told us she can never come to church, but she really believes in our message and wants to be baptized, but she can't cause you need to come to church 4 Sundays before you can, and then every Sunday after of course) anyways she was SITTING OUTSIDE!!!! she CAMEE!!!! It was the best surprise ever!!!! She told us that her friends texted her and wanted to hang out cause they had this one day off of school but she told them no and came to church instead for the first time! SOOO COOL!!! She's SO COOL! also I walked in and a mother and daughter who are less active of ours were inside!!! AHAHA!!!! YESs!!!! We have been visiting them like 3 times and trying and trying to get them to come back to church. The daughter is 13 and was baptized in February. she doesn't come cause she feels like she has no friends. anyways they cammeeee!!! I was so happy! seriously like happier than Christmas!! I sat next to them and it was the best day ever! Also another investigator came! long story with him but its also like a miracle he came! during the sacrament hymn I felt like my heart was going to explode because I was so happy! seriously there's nothing like having people come to church as a missionary. I was so happy that they could come partake of the sacrament and feel the blessings that come from being exactly where Heavenly Father wants them to be on Sunday. AH so cooL! 

What else! I'm sorry! I'm blanking! Man the pressure to write everything inspiring from my week ina a short window of time! yikeees!  Anyways I love you all! I miss you soo bad ! I cant wait till xmas I'm going to cry when I see your faces!! Livs you are so pretty with your new teethies! Ab you are so pretty too! Seriously you guys are little model children! Matt....keep it up bro. I'm expecting you to be 6'6 when I come home.  Hannah stop wearing my clothes. I see you--mom sends me pics. Stawwwppppppp. 

Loveee youuuu!!

Sis McGrath

p.s. What do you think I need to do to be able to bathe in peanut butter? This pb here is soo divine, its so creamy and sweet and all I want is for my entire body to be immersed in it. I want to live in a fountain of it. I want it to come out of the sink when I turn it on. I want it for every meal for every day for the rest of my residence on planet earth. Every night I eat spoonfuls of it and spoonfuls of it. its SOOO GUUDD I wish you could all try some! (its like the fruit in Lehi's dream. Too bad you guys are in the misty fog and are blind to the goodness of filippine pb!) Maybe I will bring some home for you HA no I will eat it all before I get to you. Anyways not to rub it in or anything, but ya I'm living the dream ova hea :)

My fish eyeball collection.  They pop out when we fry the fish.
Don't worry, I dumped it out.

Hey everyone!

Hey everyone! This week was super awesome as always! I love this! I love being a missionary!

First things first I got meeself a hammock! It's so sweet! I tied it from my bottom bunk and its just the best thing I've ever done for myself ever.









I bought it from this little shack and its handmade and it's so sweet! The only bad thing is there is never any time to lay in it, I've only tried it like 2 times! We are so busy and go go go and there are studies to do and people to see and area books to update and sleeping to do! So I actually cant really ever relax in it, but it looks real nice haha!

So we went tracting this week! We talked to a lot of people but found this one lady who i think is going to be awesome. we went back and back and farther into the bushes and passed by lots of huts, and then came upon this lady with her grandbaby outside. We walked up and introduced ourselves then she just let us in! We talked and she's super nice! I'm so excited to teach her!

It's amazing to me how no matter who I come in contact with, I know I can 100% promise them that this message is the most important one they will ever hear and that the gospel will bless their lives. No matter what problems they have had or what they will go through in the future, this will bless them! It's so amazing! I love this!

Funny story we taught 3 gay guys at one of our less active's house haah it was funny really. They asked me about America and it was so funny! Ah you had to be there! We took a pic on Sis R's camera after and they were like "ah PANGIT!" which means ugly. They are so self conscious. #assistersinzion  JKKK

We had zone training and what I got out of it was to be FEARLESS! To be ridiculously fearless! Everyone you ever see needs the gospel! Be brave! Think of what would the situation be like if I wasn't scared, then DO THAT THING!

This week I felt like crying so many times in my personal study and through the day because I am so grateful for the gospel and how simple it is. Really it is so beautiful! We can all return to live with our families FOREVER because the gospel was restored through a prophet. The gospel is the simple steps we need to do to qualify for eternal bliss. Have faith, repent and change, be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end.  That's all! God is so merciful! There's this quote in Preach My Gospel by Hyrum Smith about the gospel basics.  The jist of it in my own words is that we need to study the gospel essentials and as we do we will understand it clearer and receive more light and will be able to explain it clearer. It's so true! I feel like I've studied "faith" for example so many times but there is still so much I don't know and don't understand. I am so so grateful for this gospel, and that God has a plan and that I can be a part of helping others discover the truth of it for themselves. Every day I feel my testimony growing stronger and stronger, like the roots are getting even deeper. I had a strong testimony before but so much more now! I can't describe it! It's only been like a couple months I know! I love this!


Hm what else, one night this week there was no power and it was TORTURE to sleep with no electric fan! I was drenched in sweat and there were mosquitoes and I just cried a little bit. It was like being so so so thirsty but having no water. At 3 in the morn when I was still delirious I just reached out and stroked the fan and cried and hoped so bad it would magically come on. Finally the morning came! It was so bad haha.

 

What else, this week we helped a lady in the Elders' area fix her roof. Well ok the Elders and Bishop did, I felt pretty helpless. I wanted to help but they were climbing so high and it wasn't safe and idk what they were doing....anyways we got in charge of food duty. We went to the market and bought these huge tilapia that were gutted before our eyes, and rice and oil and went back and cooked it. We used the water pump out back and I cleaned out all the fish and cooked those babies up! We ate it on banana leaves with our hands. It was super delish! I love fish!

We had the baptism of John! The one who is so cute and an orphan and wants to change his life! Ah he's so precious! Bro Rocky baptized him it was really cool! He made a box to hold his Book of Mormon earlier and cut out pics from the pamphlets and wrote "Sis R and Sis McGrath" on the front AWWWWHHHH he's the best!

This week was Sis. R's 1 year mark!! We were going to order McD's and have a party but the number wouldn't work! so I made corned beef and eggs and hot dogs instead :'( We just pretended it was a Big Mac :)

This morning we went jogging on the beach (HA) and the Elders were there yikes. We played ultimate frisbee with a ball and made an elder a mermaid in the sand, it was raining really hard. We had fun it was good!

I wish you all could come and see what I see and do what I do everyday! There is so much more I wish you could know! I miss you all so bad! Ah mom on a district dvd we watched this lady read a scripture and it sounded JUST LIKE you and my eyes had tears coming out of them! I was like "that's my mom!!!" So I guess deep down I miss you so so bad, but I really love this! And sorry but I'm not going to come home :) It's too good out here--I can't describe how cool it is to change people's lives and go around proclaiming the truth everyday. I never want to stop! It's So SO hard but the most rewarding thing I've ever done. There's nothing like spending every waking hour living for other people!

HELLO!

Hello! This week flew by (again) I can't believe its already p day! Ok so what happened this week. First of all, we had exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders! Yay! They are so nice! OH WAIT first things first I had the besttttt burger ever! It's this place called Hungry A's in Daet, it's like an American diner place and there are pics of Elvis and the Beatles, with Tagalog music playing. It's so sweet! I got a brownie thing that was like, a real brownie! and a BURGER! I cried! It was so good! I love that place. I hope I die there. (Brae do you catch that quote?)

   
We rode a kalesa which is this donkey mule horse creature who pulls us in a little wagon. YEEE HAW!! It's so painful and so jiggly. The poor horse. Oh well :)

raiin raiiiiiin!

So it rained probably the hardest it has ever done when we were out walking...I was literally soaked head to toe! everything was wet!

I worked with sister R who is from Australia. She's so pretty and such a good example! She really treats every moment of her mission as a gift. Her story is so cool, she has sacrificed everything to be here. It really showed me how much this is an opportunity and blessing to be here. So at the end of the day we had like 20 min left, but since we don't waste a minute Sis R said "ok lets go tracting.  I will follow you.  Just follow the spirit." Huuu ok BAM it's go time, follow the Spirit, follow the Spirit. I walked us left, then right, looking at houses thinking "oh man is this one the Spirit wants me to go to?" "Wait maybe that one" we kept walking and walking. Man is it humbling to listen completely to what the Spirit is telling you.  So we walked past a ton of places, got to the end of a street, and then I felt like we should turn around.  We walked back to this house with lights on, I felt like that was the one, and we walked up...aand....ANDD!!!! No one was home.  Anticlimactic. But if I follow the Spirit to closed doors then God knows he can trust me to follow promptings to open doors.

exchanges with the STL's

Pray for me especially hard this week to have the Spirit and to have the Spirit lead me to prepared people, because our teaching pool has like, evaporated :( Ya, I guess it's a good thing because they are all our recent converts now. But now we have like, hardly any investigators! We dropped a bunch because they think its just Bible study and don't keep their commitments or do anything. It's so hard, I just want to force these people to make the right choices (HA jokeee) that darn agency though. Anyways we are going to tract a lot and a lot this week and I've been praying and fasting to be humble enough to follow the Spirit's promptings!

Sis J's baby!!!

Sis J had a baby! It's a girl! soooo soso sososdiojoerhihivhfshtwrhj cute. Oh my goodness. It's not allowed to hold kids....but whatcha gunna do when this perfect little angel baby straight from heaven is being offered you to hold? AH so cute.

So Sister R was sick this week, then she got me sick :) We had no work Friday, it was so weird. I did literally everything a human can do in our apartment all day. I cleaned, did all the laundry, deep scrubbed our kitchen and dishes, ate food, organized, had 6 hours of language study, wrote general lesson plans complete with scriptures in English and Tag for lesson 4 The Commandments, and started reading the Gospel Principles manual.  At the end of the day I was going insane. I dread the day where we have to stay in for more than one day...shudder. I'm sick too right now, my nose is running from who knows where. I swear I blow it all out but there is always more! Why! Where is it coming from! Anyways I'm fine, I will survive :) work work work!

So I guess it was Halloween. Here they have All Saints Day where you go to your ancestors' graves with your family, drink, party party, eat the dead's favorite foods, and sleep there. Whatever floats your boat.....

We had the baptism of Sis M! The one with TB! and her son too :) they are so good and so golden. I was the one who extended the baptismal date! that means I was there for like, all the lessons! so cool!

Funny story- so people always ask me one of two questions. 1. "how old are you?" or 2. "how long have you been here?" meaning the ppines.  And they sound freakishly like the same question in Tagalog! I never know which one is being asked! So i always just guess, 50/50 odds right? NO everytime I guess wrong. So it's either "how old are you" and i say "Oh 8 weeks!" or "how long have you been here?" and I say "19 years!" IT'S SO BAD!!! Either way it's so bad. I'm either an 8 week old or have lived here for 19 years. "Haha oops sorry! haha!" I say but cry cry cry inside :((( WAAAA! its ok its ok its ok :)

So mama, you mentioned that people want to help in some way the people here, like donate things or money or whatever.  Well its not allowed for me to ask for help, so just keep paying tithing! I was thinking yesterday though, about how shocking it is to see the poverty here. How the people have nothing and how its so instinctive for us to want to give them things and help them. Really though, this life is temporary. The real sad thing is when people have poverty of the gospel. It's so hard to see this poverty because they all wear it on the outside. everyone can see how hard it is and how little they have physically. But there are sooo so many people here, and home, and everywhere who are just like these people but on the inside. They don't have the blessings of the gospel in their lives. Really, that kind of poverty is way worse. This life will end, but the next life is for eternity. I was thinking of what are the things I treasure most in my life and I came up with only 2 things. 1. my family and 2. my testimony of the Gospel and knowledge of the restored church. Not physical things, not money or any temporal thing.

this is a cute little girl of one of the recent converts

My real treasure is the gospel, and really it's all I need to gain in this life. So for people who want to help, how you can is to be missionaries to the spiritually poor! Don't send money or things, while we need those things too, they are not the most important treasures we can gain in this life. The greatest blessing and treasure we have is this truth. The great thing is that you don't have to come to a third world country to find the people in spiritual poverty! They are there where you are! And everywhere! Don't be afraid! Seriously! The Gospel is true isn't it? The worst that can happen is people say no. It's ok! As missionaries we just invite people. Not force them, not anything more than an invitation to come to Christ. Seriously, the next person you look at YEP they need the gospel. The next one, YEP him too. Everyone, literally everyone needs this message whether they know it or not. Don't be afraid! 

That's all for the week! I love you all! Pray for me to follow the Spirit and pray for missionary opportunities! Go and feed the spiritually hungry!

Sis. B!!  The one who sells the peanut butter.  Here's a pic!  They are so small its like I'm hugging Abby and Liv! I feel like such a giant here!